As the name suggests, the Great Ocean Road is a big deal. Not just because of its 234-kilometre length, but also because it serves as a World War 1 memorial for fallen soldiers.

As the name also suggests, the road is situated near the coast, with beautiful views to explore along the way.

Tours are available for people to visit the Great Ocean Road and all of its associated attractions.

I went on a tour, which started in the Melbourne city centre and ended in an ice cream factory in Brellbrae.

These are my thoughts on the experience…

The tour started at 6.30 in the morning. An early start was unfortunately necessary. To get there in time, we had to leave the hotel at around 5am at the latest – resulting in my alarm being set for 4am…

The collection spot was two tram rides away from the hotel, so that paved the way for a new experience exploring the city in the dark.

This was interesting, and surprisingly a lot safer than I expected. That being said, homeless people and intoxicated party-goers were very active, so I would recommend anyone going into a city at night to take a friend.

Getting picked up was reasonably smooth sailing, although the driver was a few minutes late. When he arrived, the talking started and it rarely ended until after the tour had concluded.

Driving out of the city was an educational experience, as the driver explained some of the facts and figures about the local sites and bridges that we passed.

Skip to an hour or so later and we arrived at our first stop for breakfast. There were plenty of stops along the way (although perhaps an hour and a half leg without a stop was unfortunately timed for my bladder).

A deadline of 20 minutes was given at each stop, with a “generous” 40 minutes for lunch.

This leads me to my main criticism.

The tour was beautiful, but rushed. I felt that I could never settle in one location. From the 12 Apostles to koalas in the forest, there was never enough time to really soak in the moment.

By the end of the 13-hour trip, I was quite ready to lie in bed and recover.

The experience overall was a good done, with stunning scenery to remember for a lifetime.

But it was also a rushed, stressful experience. I would recommend anyone using a short one-day tour to see it simply as a reconnaissance for future travels.

Alternatively, take a weekend tour instead.

See the sights, and then return to your favourite ones for a hotel stay. And then sleep in at that hotel. Ideally, past 4am.